Utawarerumono – 17

Summary:
Kuuya finds Hakuoro to be a very interesting person with his successes at making undernourished soil rich, at leading a rebellion and defeating the imperial court, and at reigning as the new emperor. Kuuya wants to know how Hakuoro did it, but is disappointed to hear that Hakuoro doesn’t have any special powers. He feels that Hakuoro is surely the same Kunneietai as them, but Hakuoro doesn’t recognize that word. Kuuya explains that they are the same tribe, the Shakukoporu, under the divine protection of the Onvitaikayan. He then realizes that Hakuoro doesn’t know the name of their Onkami, especially when Hakuoro thinks that it’s Witsarunemitea. Kuuya says that that’s the name of the abominable Nugisomukami and tells Hakuoro not to say that name again. Hakuoro is very surprised that Witsarunemitea is the Nugisomukami. Kuuya thinks that Hakuoro should know all this from when the sermon when the shrine was established, but Hakuoro admits to falling asleep because it seemed to be going on forever. Kuuya finds this very amusing and starts laughing. Eventually, Genjimaru tells Kuuya that it’s time to go. To Hakuoro’s surprise, Kuuya wants to continue their conversation next time.
The next day, Hakuoro is sitting beside Eruru in deep though about the Witsarunemitea being the Nugisomukami. Eruru snaps him out of it and asks if it’s ok for him always to be here. Fortunately, Hakuoro has Benaui to depend on for administrative things. Oboro comes in to the room asking about something from Eruru. It seems that thanks to the twins, he got really drunk last night and they all ended up sleeping (naked) on the same bed. Anyway, Oboro has a hangover and so Eruru provides him with some medicine. It tastes horrible, so she adds some honey. This turns the medicine purple and gives it a very strong stench. Oboro’s reluctance to drink it causes Eruru to become self-conscious about her lack of skills. Seeing this, Hakuoro forces Oboro drink it, despite Oboro’s protests that he could die. As Hakuoro walks the streets of the city, he can hear Dorii and Guraa calling out worriedly to Oboro. Hakuoro then gets spotted by Karura, who wants him to keep her company. She starts hitting on him, but gets interrupted by Touka. The Evenkuruga scolds him for being defenseless, reminding him that ambushes could lurk anywhere – right as she looks straight in Karura’s direction.
Back in the throne room, the merchant Chikinaro is paying Hakuoro another visit and he gets Touka furious by calling her Hakuoro’s new concubine. As for his wares, this time Chikinaro has brought a rabbit-like animal which Benaui identifies as a Mikyuumu. Touka immediately takes a liking to it, as do all the other girls. To everyone’s disappointment, Hakuoro doesn’t want to buy it since they’ve already got Mukkuru. Eruru happens to mention that her grandmother once said that the Mikyuumu’s livers are effective medicines against whatever kind of sickness. Hearing this, Oboro wants to buy it for Yuzuha’s sake. Sensing the danger, the Mikyuumu starts emitting a sound wave that causes everyone to cover their ears. It escapes and runs all the way outside to Aruru and Yuzuha who are snacking. Oboro tries to get the two girls to give up the animal, but Aruru refuses because she can understand the Mikyuumu, whose name is Gachatara, and it says that Oboro wants to kill it. Oboro decides to tell Yuzuha about the liver, but Yuzuha doesn’t want to be healed at in that way. She says that she gets a bad feeling from Oboro and she hates it. Hakuoro ends up having no choice but to buy the Mikyuumu since it now recognizes Aruru, the one who named it, as its master.
That night, Oboro is drinking again, though this time with Hakuoro in addition to the twins. In his drunken state, he says that he’ll be with Hakuoro for eternity and he hopes that Hakuoro can keep Yuzuha happy. Hakuoro leaves Oboro in the hands of the twins and goes outside to allow Genjimaru to take him away to Kuuya. Kuuya starts this conversation by asking how many people Hakuoro has in his room, referring to concubines. Hakuoro denies having anyone, making Kuuya ask him about his country’s fate with no heir. Hakuoro claims he’s still single, though Kuuya had heard that he was a lustful emperor with many in his room. Kuuya tells him that he should be embarrassed if there are women he holds dear. He then changes the subject to Hakuoro’s mask, but Hakuoro hasn’t been able to take it off. Kuuya tries himself, but is equally unsuccessful. He had really wanted to see Hakuoro’s face, though Hakuoro points out that Kuuya is also hiding his face.
Kuuya removes his mask revealing a blonde woman underneath, much to Hakuoro’s surprise. Kuuya knows that she’s a girl lacking dignity and knows that she wouldn’t have to wear the mask if she was more mature. Feeling the cool breeze on her face, Kuuya tells a story of how, without the divine protection of Onvitaikayan, the people of the world bore strife and conflict. The strong seek hegemony while those without power become victims. The Shakukoporu didn’t have power, but they did gain the favor of the Onvitaikayan. They became oppressed by everyone else and there was no one to save them. But they hadn’t been completely deserted because they had obtained a power. When Hakuoro asks her why she’s telling him this, she admits that she got absorbed in telling the story. Later that night, after Kuuya and Hakuoro part ways, something large is making tracks through the forest.If you’re unsure about any vocabulary (and there is a lot this episode), refer to Mastress Alita’s Glossary.

Preview:

I present to you Exhibit A.
Interpret it how you like in the ongoing “Are the twins male or female” debate. Personally I don’t think it really clears up anything, though it’s fun to watch and ponder about it. Maybe it’ll be one of those mysteries that they keep unsolved until the very end of the series.
Lots of cute moments from the girls this week too, like Eruru’s tail wagging when Hakuoro complimented her and Touka’s tsundere moments when Gachatara appeared. Coupled with the twins debacle and this episode turned out to be quite funny.
On a more serious note, Kuuya spends a lot of time this episode talking about gods and religion. It just raised more questions than it answered, such as what it has to do with the overall story. Perhaps it’s related somehow to Hakuoro’s monster form? Speaking of which, what was that rampaging around in the forest at the end there…?
Next week, a Karura-centric story!

Denial…denial….denial….that’s all I’m seeing in this thread:) Also if you check the entry on Wikipedia, the twins are listed as male in the game. What would be the point of changing their gender? You make it sound as if Japan has some stigma against boy love, when they are several anime, mangas to the contrary.

They’re male. Get over it. Or cancel it out by staring at Kamyu. Mmmmmmmmm Kamyu..

Culottes: even more proof that the twins are females. What self respecting gay male would run around in women’s pants.

And as an extra added bonus, what would be more distrubing knowing that Oboro was piled with sake by two young boys or two young girls before a night of debauchery?

One thing that has always amazed me is how Japanese anime creators weaves myth and history into their shows to build the characters into “real” people, Hakuoro for instance could be Loki and the twins any one of numerous examples of female warriors or gods like Diana. Picking from the myths and legends of earth allows them to define how they would act.

With the exception of that guy in tights from sherwood forrest (who was either gay or a woman, Robin is a woman’s name and Maid Marion entered a nunnery instead of marrying “him”) there are very few examples of male archers of enduring fame across the seas of time, but there are no shortages of women archers to choose from even in japanese samurai legends.

BTW William Tell used a crossbow, and idiot can use a crossbow, he wasn’t an archer.

“even more proof that the twins are females. What self respecting gay male would run around in women’s pants”

Utawarerumono isn’t in the modern timeline. In feudal times, there was no such thing as fashion. If you could wear it and benefitted you, it was all okay. Also, that statement can be a little offensive for English men. ;)

Tell you what. Why don’t all of you “twins are female”ers just admit to being attracted to the same sex instead of denying their genders? That’ll make us all happy. Mmmkay?

wow who cares if they are girls or boys -_-
for ppl who think they are girls and think they r hot, then think of them as girls,
and ppl who who think they are boys and think they are gay then let it be,
you guyz don’t don’t have to dis each other over this minor gender blender.

Let me just point out that, thus far, none of the males in Utawaremono have exhibited tails. Perhaps they’re hiding them, perhaps they don’t have them. Do with that what you will, as far as the twins’ gender question goes.

There’s no freakin’ way those two are guys. I mean, I don’t know anything about the games, but they’re definetly female in the series. Even though I’m used to anime, I’m going to say this anyway: their bodies look way too femine in the nudie scene for them to be even young guys.

the scene sure has made alot of people think about it, so maybe the fact that the gender is being kept in the dark is too make people wonder, and watch till the end, then order an OVA they made so you can be sure

No u ppl are all stupid to think that Gura and Dori are guys… *shakes head* no u idiots maybe in the freakin game they were guys but in the anime they ARE girls… dun believe me then go to tht one episode where Hakuoro takes over his FIRST castle and then Eruru catches tht merchant trying to scale the walls…well then blah blah blah well he takes about toys for children then it shows Aruru holding some toy thingy and then the merchant says jewelry for the ladies and then it shows Dori and Gura…cough cough did you guys catch that??? The merchants says jewelry for the LADIES!!! then the scene shows Gura and Dori (twins) holding pieces of some jewelry and trying them on… and no shit they are girls if u didnt already know by their voices and the fact that Oboro DOES BLUSH when the merchant talks about that energy plant thingy that could be used when couples are having sex…..so ya dont get their sex mixed up the twins, Dori and Gura, are not male they are females.

—
“The Corrector”…some people just dont want admit that they are males (“oh, i love it…but what the hell they are?, males?…oh, this is bad!”). In some shows in the “USA version”, the big-fishes translated the gender for not casue a shock in the kids, (Poison, final fight…but, in bloody roar, foxy is soo obvious) changes the history, or cut the “blood” scenes (now, naruto is crap…). In the fandubs sometimes are errors from the fans…
But in a original trasnlation of game/anime/manga, does´nt has sense change the characters in that way…just like Bridget. Lean to live with that.

in the anime the tweens are female
touka is also …. something else xD
you can look becase they have tail and fall down ears
but… touka doesnt has tail….but her/his ears are diferent,
but, id like to think that she is a femaleShow Spoiler ▼

in the special dvd 4 its said that a god take a women form and
the woman was in a fact touka